Patient dies due to delay in transferring him

By Jayantha Kumara Dissanayake, Alawwa
A critically ill patient who was ordered to be transferred to Kurunegala Hospital after admission to the Alawwa Divisional Hospital had suffered for five hours and then died, as not a single ambulance belonging to the four nearest hospitals were available to transport him.

It was reported that the doctor of the Alawwa Hospital had recommended the immediate transfer of the patient to Kurunegala Hospital, but the staff had failed to comply saying there were no ambulances available at the time. After a delay of five hours the patient had died after admission to Kurunegala Hospital.

The 72-year-old victim K Dayananda Peiris was the father of three. He was a resident of Weweldeniya, Nawathalwatte in Alwwa. The deceased’s eldest son K Dickson Dayananda Peiris said that he had wanted to transport his father in a private vehicle as there was no ambulance available but the hospital staff had not permitted him to do so.

He said that the doctor had instructed the staff to transfer his father to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital as soon as possible, but the hospital staff had kept making various excuses — for over five hours — for their inability to transfer the patient.

First the Alawwa Hospital staff had said that their own ambulance driver was on leave and there was no one to drive the vehicle. Second, they had said the ambulance at Nawathalwatte Hospital did not have sufficient fuel. The driver of the Dambadeniya Hospital was said to be suffering from a stomach ache, whilst the telephone at the Polgahawela Hospital had not functioned. He said the utter negligence of the hospital staff who were on duty at that time had caused his father’s death.